DFO Veteran

I don’t think the 2nd and last track were too different from his later stuff. I was always a big fan of Scarecrow, which I think was his first album as John Cougar Mellencamp. As a midwest kid Mellencamp was my Springsteen.

DFO Master

I don’t think the 2nd and last track were too different from his later stuff. I was always a big fan of Scarecrow, which I think was his first album as John Cougar Mellencamp. As a midwest kid Mellencamp was my Springsteen.

As far as rock and roll in the 70s and 80s I think it depends on your experience, ya know? Not that you can't enjoy them all but Jersey, the Philly area and NY are well represented by Springsteen, but East Coasters are never going to fully understand what it's like to see an entire town slowly disappear like the mid west has and Mellencamp captures that experience perfectly. Petty never really spoke to me at all not that I can't appreciate the music. They are different blue collar experiences. Different types of factories, port authorities, farmers, ethnicities, and social norms etc.

I have the odd position of being from the Mid West AND the East Coast. But because of that not really fully fitting in in either place. I'm too nice for Philly and too mean for Michigan. Haha